What is 'social facilitation' in psychology?

Social facilitation refers to the phenomenon where an individual's performance on tasks is enhanced when they are in the presence of others. This improvement in performance is typically seen in tasks that an individual is already familiar with or skilled at, leading to a boost in confidence and motivation due to the social presence of others. Research has shown that the presence of an audience can create a heightened sense of arousal and engagement, which often translates into better performance.

In contrast, the other concepts presented do not accurately capture the essence of social facilitation. Performing worse in group settings relates to 'social inhibition,' where the pressure of an audience can hinder performance, particularly in unfamiliar or complex tasks. Decreased motivation when observed can be related to various psychological dynamics but not specifically to social facilitation. Lastly, a method of group therapy pertains to therapeutic techniques used in clinical settings, which is unrelated to the social impact on individual performance in non-clinical scenarios. Thus, the definition encompassing improvement in performance due to social presence is the most fitting description of social facilitation.